Swivel connection



May 23, 195o D, WARREN 2,509,118

SWIVEL CONNECTION Filed April 1o, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

BY (l @Ma TTOHNEV Patented May 23, 1950 r'Doyle'll Warren, 'Monrovia, Calif., 'assigner to vChiksan Company, Brea, sa. corporation .of California Application ,APri1.10,"19A'6,' Serial'No. `$613095 =1.'-Glaim. r1 This invention has Ato -do with a Apacking 1assembly for lswivel connections and '-it; is Aaggeneral object 'of the invention :to provide va simple,in -expensivefimprovedjpacking assembly for sealing -between twojparts such -as the vmale and Afemale ,sections ofa swivel joint; which assembly 4involves butfew simple yinexpensive yet highly effective Parts.

'Aggeneral object of thehpresent invention is to 'provide ajpacking assembly suitable for A-applif g leakage in either direction'between the connected .parts.

Itis another object of the invention'fto provide .a simple-improved form or sealing Ting lwith'fdiverging sealing anges orside jparts connected -so ithat 'theyarefreelto work ormove relative to each other to seal in Ya. most effective manner.

The various objects and-features of my-inventon will be fully understood 'from `the l'following detailed .description of typical preferred forms .and applications of the invention, throughout c which description reference 'is made to the acjconipanying drawings, in ',wh'ich:

Fig. 1 is ailongitudinal detailed sectionalview of a typicalV swivel ljoint Showingthe packing of the present-'invention in operating position there-k in. 'Fig.f2 is-a Jview of the ljoint vtaken as indicated lby line 2 2 onFig. 1l. Fig. V3-isan enlarged detailed View of a-portion of the Jstruc'tureeshown in Fig. 1 showing the ipacking assembly Vin detail, `-andig J4 is .a VView similar'fto Fig. showing a modified form 'of 4vpacking assembly.

"The packing 'assembly -of the present invention :is particularly suited for puse in swivel '-jointsor thelike Yand in the `typical adaptation :illustrated there A'is a swivel `joint `involving, generally, a .malesection A and a'female vsection '13. The sec- 'tionsA and B 1are joined or 'held together by suit- .able .nearing `means C and the packing :assembly :of thepresent inventionacts between thesections 'i0 alienta seal gbetweenthem.

The female fsection B of the ljoint A-is s`hown=r in "they form of an L while 'the male lsection VAis efa v`straig'i1'i'.,` tubular part engaged inv one -end of the female section. The socket or opening provided in "one end of fthefemale vsection for ithe ireception of the -male sectionihas an outer bearing fporvtion I0 and an inner packing carrying portion'ill Thepackingcarrying portion ofthe socketiin the female section'has a 'straight liinishe'dcylindrical iside 'wall xand has -a Iflat linner -end Wall y'I 2 fin la plane normal to the llongitudinal axis of l'the joint. The other or `second-endportion I3 `oi thelfemae section extends at `right angles 'to `the f-porltion having-'the socket above -describedsofthatfthesecltion B Yis in ithena'ture of anL.

The malesection is a straight tubular part with a central-bearingportion 'IlI,-an outerfor projecting end portion I5 andan inneriendiportionllf. `The inner endf portion `"It 'is 'in the nature -fof a turned extension on't'h-e inner end oftheA central portion il 4 :andf'it has its -outerlsur'face I1 turned and 4concentricAvi/ith the bore or-wall fI'I KAof *the inner portion Kof the female fsocke't. The sinner end 'I'B -of 1theinner'portion 'I'I 'terminates fjust shortofithe'shoulder I 2 as shown in`-Fig.'11. Aflat shoulder I9 l'lyingin a plane 'normal' to the l'longi- 'tudinalaxis of the ijointoccurs where thebearing section I4 and the 'inner section 'IG joinfthe shoulder v-I 9 Ebeing Qpposedfto the end -or bottom i2; of the'socket in the female section. Theinner ;endpor'tion liofthemale section is substantially smaller in diameter l`than the inner end portion I I of ythe `socket inthe female section, with the `result-:that"thereis a-sbstantial space or chamr `ber lX"formed'between theserparts which cham- V'ber is l'annular in "form and is vof substantial `lengthaxially of'the s'tructurejas shown inthe drawings.

'The means "serves to Vrotatably connect the sections A, and "B, 'and in the particular'case iAillus- 'tra'ted it :istinithe nature of aseries'of balls .20 carried `in registering grooves 2I provided -in the :bearing portions lof ,the sections A IandB. 'The ,ba'lls are arranged '"in place Lthrough 'an-'opening "M"I normally vclosed :by va removable plug "-2-2. The

"balls *2H serve to connect the 4sections A and TB so that they are Afreely rotatable relativeltoeeach other and :are effectively held against -relative movementaxially.

"The packing assembly that I have provided 'iis carried 'in or .ocmmes'the chamber X above ilescribed. The form of packing assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings is double acting and involves, generally, a central partition ring 3|), end rings 3| and two sets of packing rings arranged between the partition ring and the end rings, each set of packing rings including a plurality of packing rings 32 faced in one direction axially of the joint and the two sets of packing rines being faced in opposite directions, preferably both away from the partition ring 3U, as shown in the drawings.

The partition ring 30 has flat end faces 33 in planes normal to the axis of the joint and at each end face it has an inner flange 34 and an outer flange 35 the flanges being formed with pitched or inclined faces 36 so that the flanges combine with the ring 30 to present iiat bottomed V-shaped channels at each end of the partition ring to receive the innermost packing rings of the packing sets. The partition ring has a bore 31 receiving the inner portion I6 of the male section A with suitable clearance and its periphery or exterior 38 is turned to fit into the inner portion of the socket in section B with suitable clearance so that the partition ring floats or is free to move either axially or rotatably in the chamber X.

The end rings 3| are preferably alike and each has a bore 40 receiving the projection I6 with suitable clearance and its exterior 4| is turned to t into the inner portion of the socket with suitable clearance. Projections 42 are provided at each end or side of each ring 3| and each projection has a narrow central at end face 43 and inclined faces 44 that are pitched or inclined in opposite directions from the face 43 so that each projection is in the nature of a tapered part that will fit into the outermost packing ring of a packving set.

The partition ring 30 and the end rings 3| are preferably formed of metal.

The two sets of packing rings are preferably alike except for being oppositely faced or disposed and each set of rings preferably includes a plurality of like or similar packing rings. In the t preferred form of the invention the innermost packing ring, that is, the ring which bears against the partition ring 30, is preferably somewhat thicker or heavier than the other or outer packing rings. In the case shown in Figs. l and 3 of the drawings each set involves two packing rings, a thick inner packing ring and a thin outer packing ring, whether thick or thin, involves, gener- Y allel with the inclined faces 36 of the partition ring and 44 of the end rings, and the outer ends 52 of the flanges are preferably finished and The flanges shaped to have sealing engagement with the wall of the inner socket portion and the exterior I1 of the inner portion IB of the section A. In the preferred form of the invention the central portion 5| of each ring is weakened or made flexible as by a groove 53 so that the flange parts 50 are free to move or flex relative to each other in order to bring their outer ends 5|! into proper seating engagement. In practice I may form the sealing rings of various materials and I have found that for most purposes so-called synthetic rubber materials are satisfactory as such materials may be made with the desired flexibility, are such as to effectively nest or seat together and against the rings of the packing assembly, and are readily formed with surfaces 52 that will effectively seal when the packing is in use.

When the packing assembly is in operating position as shown in the drawings, the outermost projections on the end rings 3| seat or bear against the inner end I2 and shoulder I3 of sections B and A, respectively, while the oppositely faced sets of packing rings face the end rings and have their outermost rings fitted over the projections at the inner ends of the end rings. The innermost ends of the sets of packing rings seat in the channels in the partition ring 30. It is preferred that the parts be arranged and proportioned so that the packing rings are held in place with some pressure, that is, so that the packing assembly is held snugly in the chamber X, and by providing the grooves 53 in the packing rings I provide space into which the rings can be somewhat compressed, if necessary, rather than causing the rings to be mashed out of shape or be deformed to the point where they are not effective. It will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings that when the structure that I have described is in operation the sets of packing rings being faced in opposite directions are effective in sealing against leakage or flow in either direction and, consequently, they are eifective in preventing leakage out of the joint as well as into the joint.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4 I employ a single set of packing rings 32a and the end ring 3| at one end of the set or at the concave end of the set of sealing rings may be the same as the end ring above described, while I prefer that the end ring 3| b at the other end of the set of sealing rings be somewhat different in form. The end ring 3|'J is made to t the outer or convex side of the endmost sealing ring and instead of being formed as above described it has a central portion 438L which fits the connecting portion \of the endmost ring and has diverging side portions or flanges llla which are pitched like the faces 44 of the rings 3| and which t against the anges of the endmost packing ring. By using an end ring 3|b such as I have just described I am able to employ more packing rings in a given chamber X than is possible if I use rings of the form rst described at both ends of the structure.

Having described only typical preferred forms and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claim:

Having described my invention, I claim:

In combination, two tubular sections, one a female section with a socket terminating at an axially faced shoulder, and the other a male section entered in the socket and having a reduced inner end portion forming an axially faced shoulder spaced from the first mentioned shoulder. anti-friction means coupling the sections for relative rotation, and sealing means on said portion of the male section between the shoulders and including, a rigid partition ring surrounding said portion and having inwardly convergent cavities in its sides, a set of sealing rings at each side of the partition ring including rings of sealing material V-shaped in cross sectional configuration and nested together and into a cavity of the partition ring, and end rings at the ends of the sealing means having inner sides that are con- UNITED STATES PATENTS vergent and which are nested in the sealing rings, ber Name Date the outer sides of the end rings being convergent f6 391 Humason et aL July 10 1923 and terminating in narrow central annular bear- @0883771 Smith Aug 3 1937 ing portions that bear onf-the shoulders, the seal- 5 l 2284340 Nuck1es"""` May'26 1942 ing rings having thin sealing lips at their inner 2382375 Auen et Aug 14 1945 and outer peripheries engaged with the wall of 2388'841 Goodwin NOV 13 1945 the socket and the exterior of said portion of the 2;396I123 Phillips Ma1` 5) 1946 male section. v Y

v DoYLE C. WARREN. 1g REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

